The helmet has large, rounded features, with a rise along the top of the head with two black triangles pointing out the front of the head on each side of the rise. It has a thin visor and an area of black alloy beneath it that covers the nose, surrounded by armor. The helmet is largely angular with a pair of what look like breathers, on each side of the mouth and a small outdent on the forehead. Marathon symbols can be found on the sides of the helmet.

The chest piece is similar to the Mark VI but instead of being made up of smooth plates reflecting the human body, it is more angular and flat like the other parts of the armor and reflects it with a few small changes. This chest piece, like all armor permutations, is an attachment on to the standard Mark VI armor.

The helmet once again appears in Halo: Reach. It is available at the Rank of Colonel for 100,000 cr. The UA/HUL [3] is only available to those who pre-ordered the game or bought the standard edition in the United States.

Recon was mistakenly labeled E.O.B. in many pictures, being translated as meaning 'Employee of Bungie'.[citation needed]

The Recon Armor (with flaming helmet) came 10th in the Top 10 Videogame Armor, a feature by Machinima.com.[6]

In Halo 3, the Recon helmet shares the same smooth undersuit neck as the EOD helmet, albeit not as smooth as the Scout or Hayabusa variants.

On 7/7/09, players that beat a team of Bungie employees in Matchmaking were awarded the Recon Armor.

McFarlane Toys produced Recon Armor in Red, Blue and Active Camo obtained through their Halo Points program. White and "Steel" versions of this armor was announced for their sixth series of action figures.

Getting the Vidmaster Challenge: Endure achievement in Halo 3: ODST will unlock Dare's Recon helmet as a wearable "hat" for the player's Xbox LIVE avatar.

The Recon helmet with a UA/HUL[3] was an exclusive permutation in Halo: Reach to those who buy the game on the launch day at North American retail stores, or by making a pre-order reservation at participating retailers such as GameStop for those outside of North America. It was also available in post-launch copies that didn't sell on launch day. It consists of a Blast Shield and a 3rd Generation HUL for MILINT acquisition.

Despite the UA/HUL[3]'s exclusiveness to pre-ordered copies of Halo: Reach, the availability of the upgrade makes the Recon helmet the only helmet in which an upgrade can be acquired before purchasing the helmet's base.

As part of the final transition between Bungie and 343 industries, 343 gave Halo 3 Recon armor to all Halo 3 players on March 29, 2012. This was also done due to the armor having to be unlocked through Bungie.net, as now that cannot be done anymore.